Local colleges prepare for National Signing Day

Tuesday

Only a few years ago, Jeff Monken and Steve Davenport were recruiting for their respective Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Today on National Signing Day, Monken will announce his third recruiting class at Georgia Southern while Davenport will report on his second recruiting class at Savannah State.

Before becoming head coaches at their respective schools, Monken and Davenport were trying to reel in top athletes for Georgia Tech and Alabama-Birmingham.

“I don’t know if there is a lot of difference,” said Monken about recruiting at the Football Championship Subdivision level. “Every school has to know who they are and who they can recruit.”

Monken spent two years at Tech after six at Navy, projecting athletes to fit in an option offense. Both schools were as unique academically as the offenses Monken was pitching.

At Georgia Southern, Monken is going after similar athletes who are considering the FBS mid-major level, but maybe a step below BCS talent.

“It makes a difference recruiting against BCS schools,” Monken said. “Obviously, the BCS is a different level. But I think from a support standpoint and a game-day atmosphere, our school speaks for itself. You aren’t going to win all the battles, but we’ve beaten mid-major (programs) head to head, and hopefully we will (today).”

Davenport hopes to lure athletes to Savannah State by showing similar enthusiasm for his school and the football program’s future. The campus has blossomed in recent months with several new facilities, including a refurbished football stadium.

Davenport said being able to offer partial scholarships is one of the biggest differences between recruiting at the FBS and FCS levels. FBS athletes are offered full scholarships.

“You can break up the scholarships (in FCS), but you have to be careful you don’t lose someone because (another school) might come along and offer (the recruit) more,” Davenport said.

Monken said you have to be at least on even terms with your competition.

“You almost have to go apples for apples if we’re competing with another Southern Conference school (for the same athlete),” he said.

GSU recruiting

Monken is hoping to sign about 25 athletes when he steps to the podium today at 2 p.m. to discuss the Eagles’ 2012 recruiting class.

Southern has had great success getting freshmen to make immediate impact during his first two years.

GSU has been targeting quarterbacks and defensive backs primarily, but with 22 seniors leaving, Monken said, “there’s a need for a little bit of everything.”

The Eagles’ two key signees are expected to be quarterback Matt Dobson from North Florida Christian in Tallahassee, Fla., and defensive end Tre Griffin from North Cobb in Kennesaw.

Both are rated three-star athletes (out of five stars) by highly regarded Rivals.com.

Dobson, who led North Florida Christian to a 2-A state championship, is considered a dual threat as a runner and passer. He runs a 4.54 40-yard dash.

Griffin is 6-foot-2, 232 pounds and runs a 4.99 40.

SSU recruiting

Davenport says he hopes to have 27 signees today and will continue to recruit until the Tigers get to the limit of 30. Davenport says he’s out to strengthen every position.

“Our record speaks for itself,” he said.

SSU finished 1-10 overall in its first year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Major areas of concern are offensive line, running back and safety.

But the Tigers need immediate help and depth. A carousel of three head coaches in four years put Davenport and his staff in a difficult predicament. Recruiting took a hit.

Last season, SSU had only eight sophomores on scholarship. The Tigers ended the 2011 season with eight true freshmen starting.

Davenport will try to even out the classes by relying on junior college transfers in this recruiting class.

Defensive end Chris Jones, a 315-pound nose guard, could be the team’s biggest pickup of the recruiting process literally and figuratively. Jones, a three-star player according to Rivals.com, transferred from the University of Illinois after being red-shirted last season.

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